Overview

Every Plasma Cloud Access Point is equipped with two Ethernet ports, enabling one Internet uplink and one wired client (up to two wired clients in case of meshing Access Points).

Access Points automatically detect how a port is being used and dynamically assign the correct role:

• Uplink port - refers to a port connected via cable to a device providing Internet access;
• Wired client port - refers to a port connected via cable to a device not providing Internet access, such as a printer, desktop, etc. Alternatively, an Ethernet Switch can be connected to the port to facilitate multiple device connections.

The Access Point port view shown above can be found on the Details Page of each device.

Once a wired client is detected on a port, more specific settings can be configured to determine how to manage them.

Network Wired Client Settings

You can configure wired clients settings for all Access Points within the same network. For a step by step guide, please refer to this article.

Access Point Wired Client Settings

The network wired client settings can be overridden for individual Access Points to accommodate specific use cases. For a step by step guide, please refer to this article.

Wired Client Configuration Modes

There are three different configuration modes for wired clients in the Plasma Cloud console. You can choose between Routing, Bridge, and Merge with SSID depending on your use case.

Routing

Routing is the default mode, providing a "plug and play" experience without requiring additional network equipment (such as DHCP servers). Wired clients are granted access to the Internet uplink as well as to all the other wired clients in your LAN. This mode is particularly useful for network admins to easily access a network to perform tests, or for PCs requiring a wired connection to get Internet access. 

Bridge

Bridged wired clients receive their IP address from the upstream DHCP server inside the LAN. Bridge mode allows you to apply VLAN tags, connect to the LAN to access printers, file servers, surveillance cameras etc. or access services relying on auto-discovery.

To learn more on Routing and Bridge mode, please refer to this article.

Bridge Wired Clients to VLAN

Bridging wired clients to a VLAN assigns VLAN tags to all traffic belonging to these clients. By attaching VLAN tags to data packets coming from a specified origin, one can distinguish between these data packets and other network traffic.

Merge Wired Clients with SSID

In this mode, wired clients adopt the same configuration as the selected SSID. Any settings present in the selected SSID such as captive portal, VLAN tag, etc. will apply to wired clients as well. 

This mode connects wired and wireless clients. For example, if the wired client is a printer, you can allow WiFi clients to access this printer by choosing this mode.